Halo: CE designer says the Warthog is the reason Halo wasn't an RTS

One upon a time there was a game called Halo, but it wasn't always the gun-toting action fest it is today. Before it evolved into the excellent Halo 5: Guardians, Master Chief's debut was so ambitious it even echoed Bungie's future Destiny. "It was a huge world,” reveals art director Marcus Lehto, "comprised of a block of islands that you could travel to. It was a top-down, ‘lead your troops from the sky’ type of thing."

And as more members joined the team, that original design concept began to evolve into a more action-focused. "As the tech and art made things look cooler, we began to pull the camera closer to the action," says Alex Seropian, co-founder of Bungie. "The strategy game became a third-person game, which became a first-person shooter."

The latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, with Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3 on the cover, is out now. Download it hereor subscribe to future issues.